U.S. patent application number 11/587011 was filed with the patent office on 2008-09-25 for heating blower with electrostatic atomizing device.
Invention is credited to Kishiko Hirai, Toshihisa Hirai.
Application Number | 20080229606 11/587011 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 35196668 |
Filed Date | 2008-09-25 |
United States Patent
Application |
20080229606 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Hirai; Toshihisa ; et
al. |
September 25, 2008 |
Heating Blower with Electrostatic Atomizing Device
Abstract
This heating blower has a housing 1, a fan 2, a heater 3, and an
electrostatic atomizing device 5. The electrostatic atomizing
device 5 is provided in the housing 1 and discharges nanometer-size
ion mist to the outside. The electrostatic atomizing device 5
comprises a discharging electrode 50, an opposed electrode 52
disposed opposite the discharging electrode 50, a cooling part 53
which cools the discharging electrode 50 to generate moisture from
ambient air near the discharging electrode, and a high voltage
applying part 55 which applies a high voltage between said
discharging electrode and the opposed electrode to atomize water
generated near the discharging electrode. Therefore, this heating
blower can discharge nanometer-size ion mist to the outside without
replenishment of water.
Inventors: |
Hirai; Toshihisa;
(Hikone-shi, JP) ; Hirai; Kishiko; (Hikone-shi,
JP) |
Correspondence
Address: |
EDWARDS ANGELL PALMER & DODGE LLP
P.O. BOX 55874
BOSTON
MA
02205
US
|
Family ID: |
35196668 |
Appl. No.: |
11/587011 |
Filed: |
April 19, 2005 |
PCT Filed: |
April 19, 2005 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/JP05/07417 |
371 Date: |
November 26, 2007 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
34/97 ; 239/690;
392/394 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F24F 5/0035 20130101;
B05B 5/0533 20130101; B05B 5/057 20130101; A45D 2200/202 20130101;
F24F 2006/143 20130101; A45D 20/12 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
34/97 ; 392/394;
239/690 |
International
Class: |
A45D 20/12 20060101
A45D020/12; B05B 5/057 20060101 B05B005/057; F24H 3/04 20060101
F24H003/04 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Apr 23, 2004 |
JP |
2004-128816 |
Claims
1. A heating blower with an electrostatic atomizing device
comprising: a housing with an air passage therein; a fan disposed
in said air passage to aspirate external air from an air inlet
formed at an upstream portion of said air passage and discharge
aspirated air to outside from an air outlet formed at a downstream
portion of said air passage; a heater disposed in said air passage
to heat air to be discharged from said air outlet; and an
electrostatic atomizing device provided in said housing to
discharge atomized water to outside, wherein said electrostatic
atomizing device comprises: a discharging electrode, an opposed
electrode disposed opposite said discharging electrode, a cooling
part which cools said discharging electrode to generate moisture
from ambient air near said discharging electrode, and a high
voltage applying part which applies a high voltage between said
discharging electrode and said opposed electrode to atomize water
generated near said discharging electrode.
2. The heating blower as set forth in claim 1, wherein said fan is
disposed at the upstream portion of said air passage and said
heater is disposed at the downstream portion of said air passage,
said housing having a cooling passage branched from said air
passage between said fan and said heater, said discharging
electrode being disposed in said cooling passage.
3. The heating blower as set forth in claim 1, wherein said housing
has a mist outlet for discharging the atomized water to outside,
said mist outlet being formed so that a discharging direction of
the atomized water discharged from said mist outlet becomes
parallel to a discharging direction of air discharged from said air
outlet.
4. The heating blower as set forth in claim 1, wherein said
electrostatic atomizing device has a radiator for dissipating heat
absorbed when said cooling part cools said discharging electrode,
said fan being disposed at the upstream portion of said air passage
and said heater being disposed at the downstream portion of said
air passage, said radiator being disposed in said air passage
between said fan and said heater.
5. The heating blower as set forth in claim 4, wherein said
radiator has a function of rectifying air flowing through said air
passage.
6. The heating blower as set forth in claim 5, wherein a cross
section of said radiator which faces a pathway of the air flowing
through said air passage has a uniform shape along the pathway of
the air.
7. The heating blower as set forth in claim 1, wherein said
electrostatic atomizing device has a radiator for dissipating heat
absorbed when said cooling part cools said discharging electrode,
said fan being disposed at the upstream portion of said air passage
and said heater being disposed at the downstream portion of said
air passage, said housing having a heat radiation passage branched
from said air passage between said fan and said heater, said
radiator being disposed in said heat radiation passage.
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The present invention relates to a heating blower with an
electrostatic atomizing device which generates nanometer-size
mist.
BACKGROUND ART
[0002] Generally, a heating blower, such as a hair drier and a fan
heater, comprises a housing, an air passage provided in the
housing, a fan disposed in the air passage, and a heater disposed
in the air passage. Japanese Non-examined Patent Publication No.
2002-191426 discloses a hair drier which added a negative ion
generator for generating negative ions to such a heating blower.
The hair drier can give moisture to hair by spraying nanometer-size
mist which adhered to negative ions onto the hair. However, because
the mist which adhered to the negative ion is about 1 nm in
diameter and is evaporable by heat of a heater, there was a problem
that it was difficult to give sufficient mist to hair. Furthermore,
because the mist is lightweight, there was also a problem that a
discharging direction thereof was changeable by ambient
electrostatic charge and wind. Furthermore, because such mist is
small in volume, it could not retain such sufficient water as to
increase fiber bonding inside hair, though it could give moisture
to the hair temporary. Still furthermore, because the mist is
neutral (that is, pH 7.0), it could not neutralize alkaline hair
which was damaged by hair dyeing and perm and bring the hair to a
weak acid (about ph 5.5) which is a condition of healthy hair.
[0003] Meanwhile, Japanese Patent No. 3260150 discloses an
electrostatic atomizing device which can generate nanometer-size
mist which is about 3 to 100 nm in diameter and does not evaporate
easily. It is possible to use the electrostatic atomizing device as
a substitute for the above negative ion generator, but, because it
is necessary for the electrostatic atomizing device to
intermittently replenish water for atomization in the device, it is
troublesome to replenish the water. Furthermore, because the
electrostatic atomizing device needs a tank for storing water, the
device may grow in size.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
[0004] In view of the above problem, the object of the present
invention is to provide a heating blower with an electrostatic
atomizing device which can generate nanometer-size mist without
replenishment of water.
[0005] The heating blower in accordance with the present invention
comprises a housing, a fan, a heater, and an electrostatic
atomizing device. The housing has an air passage inside it. The fan
is disposed in the air passage to aspirate external air from an air
inlet formed at an upstream portion of the air passage and
discharge the aspirated air to the outside from an air outlet
formed at a downstream portion of the air passage. The heater is
disposed in the air passage to heat the air to be discharged from
the air outlet. The electrostatic atomizing device is provided in
the housing and discharges atomized water to the outside. The
feature of the present invention resides in that the electrostatic
atomizing device comprises a discharging electrode, an opposed
electrode disposed opposite the discharging electrode, a cooling
part which cools the discharging electrode to generate moisture
from ambient air near the discharging electrode, and a high voltage
applying part which applies a high voltage between the discharging
electrode and the opposed electrode to atomize water generated near
the discharging electrode.
[0006] In the heating blower of the present invention, because the
electrostatic atomizing device has a cooling part and the cooling
part generates moisture from ambient air (in other words, the
cooling part condenses ambient air to water), it is possible for
the heating blower to discharge atomized water without
replenishment of water. Furthermore, because the heating blower
does not need a tank and so on for storing water, it is possible to
downsize the heating blower.
[0007] Furthermore, because the atomized water generated by the
electrostatic atomizing device is nanometer-size mist which is
about 3 to 100 nm in diameter, the atomized water is resistant to
evaporation, and even if the mist is discharged with heated air,
the mist does not evaporate easily and therefore it can give
sufficient mist to a user. Furthermore, such mist is not easily
influenced by ambient electrostatic charge and wind, and therefore
a discharging direction of such mist becomes stable. Furthermore,
because such mist is large in volume, the mist can retain such
sufficient water as to increase fiber bonding inside hair, when the
heating blower is applied to a hair drier for example. Still
furthermore, because the mist is a weak acid (about ph 4-6), it can
neutralize alkaline hair damaged by hair dyeing and perm and can
bring the hair to a weak acid (about ph 5.5) which is a condition
of healthy hair.
[0008] That is, the heating blower of the present invention does
not need replenishment of water and can be downsized, and
furthermore, it can sufficiently give a user various effects that
the nanometer-size mist has, for example, in a case where the
heating blower is applied to a hair drier, an effect of
moisturizing hair, an effect of increasing intensity of the hair by
raising the fiber bonding inside the hair and giving tightness and
stiffness to the hair, an effect of bringing the hair close to a
weak acid which is a condition of healthy hair and preventing
evaporation of moisture inside the hair by tightening cuticle and
increasing continuousness of moisturizing effect, an effect of
preventing an escape of nutrients such as a protein and amino acid,
and an effect of correcting cuticle and increasing gloss of
hair.
[0009] Because the heating blower of the present invention does not
require replenishment of water and can be downsized, it is possible
to dramatically increase a commercial value of various heating
blower, such as a handheld heating blower (for example, a hair
drier), and a room heating blower (for example, a fan heater).
[0010] Preferably, the fan is disposed at the upstream portion of
the air passage and the heater is disposed at the downstream
portion of the air passage, and the housing has a cooling passage
branched from the air passage between the fan and the heater, and
the discharging electrode is disposed in the cooling passage. In
this case, because the cooling passage is branched from the air
passage above the heater, the air heated by the heater does not
flow into the cooling passage, and therefore it becomes possible to
efficiently cool the discharging electrode disposed in the cooling
passage. In order to generate dew condensation water continuously,
it is necessary to moderately change the air around the discharging
electrode. That is, a situation where a large amount of air is
blown to the discharging electrode, or a situation where the air
around the discharging electrode is not changed is not good for
generating dew condensation water. So, by branching the cooling
passage from the air passage and disposing the discharging
electrode in the cooling passage, it becomes possible to change the
air around the discharging electrode moderately while preventing
the discharging electrode from being blown by a large amount of
air, and therefore it becomes possible to generate dew condensation
water continuously.
[0011] Preferably, the housing has a mist outlet for discharging
the atomized water to the outside, and the mist outlet is formed so
that a discharging direction of the atomized water discharged from
the mist outlet becomes parallel to a discharging direction of the
air discharged from the air outlet. In this case, the atomized
water discharged from the mist outlet is carried by air discharged
from the air outlet, and it can arrive at a far point quickly.
[0012] Preferably, the electrostatic atomizing device has a
radiator for dissipating heat absorbed when the cooling part cools
the discharging electrode, and the fan is disposed at the upstream
portion of the air passage, and the heater is disposed at the
downstream portion of the air passage, and the radiator is disposed
in the air passage between the fan and the heater. In this case,
because large amount of air that has not been heated by the heater
is blown to the radiator by the fan, the radiator can dissipate
heat efficiently. Furthermore, because the radiator is disposed in
the air passage, the heating blower is not upsized.
[0013] In the above case, it is preferable that the radiator has a
function of rectifying air flowing through the air passage.
Concretely speaking, it is preferable that a cross section of the
radiator which faces a pathway of the air flowing through the air
passage has a uniform shape along the pathway of the air. In this
case, the radiator can stabilize the flow of the air discharged
from the air outlet.
[0014] Alternatively, it is also preferable that the housing has a
heat radiation passage branched from the air passage between the
fan and the heater, and the radiator is disposed in the heat
radiation passage. In this case, too, the air before being heated
by the heater is blown to the radiator, so the radiator can
dissipate heat efficiently.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0015] FIG. 1 is a side sectional view of a substantial part of a
heating blower in accordance with a first embodiment of the present
invention.
[0016] FIG. 2A is a side view of the substantial part of the
heating blower of FIG. 1.
[0017] FIG. 2B is a front view of the substantial part of the
heating blower of FIG. 1.
[0018] FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the substantial
part of the heating blower of FIG. 1.
[0019] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of an electrostatic atomizing
device of the heating blower of FIG. 1.
[0020] FIG. 5A is a view showing another form of the electrostatic
atomizing device of the heating blower of FIG. 1.
[0021] FIG. 5B is a view showing another form of the electrostatic
atomizing device of the heating blower of FIG. 1.
[0022] FIG. 5C is a view showing another form of the electrostatic
atomizing device of the heating blower of FIG. 1.
[0023] FIG. 5D is a view showing another form of the electrostatic
atomizing device of the heating blower of FIG. 1.
[0024] FIG. 6 is a side sectional view of a substantial part of a
heating blower in accordance with a second embodiment of the
present invention.
[0025] FIG. 7A is a side view of the substantial part of the
heating blower of FIG. 6.
[0026] FIG. 7B is a front view of the substantial part of the
heating blower of FIG. 6.
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
[0027] Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in more
detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
First Embodiment
[0028] In this embodiment, as one example of a heating blower with
an electrostatic atomizing device, a hair drier with an
electrostatic atomizing device will be explained. FIG. 1 shows a
substantial part of the hair drier of this embodiment. A housing 1
of the hair drier has an air passage C1 inside it. An air inlet 11
is formed at one end of the air passage C1, and an air outlet 12 is
formed at the other end of the air passage C1. A fan 2 is disposed
at an upstream portion of the air passage C1, that is, on the air
inlet 11 side of the air passage C1, and it aspirates external air
from the air inlet 11 and discharges the aspirated air from the air
outlet 12 to the outside. A heater 3 is disposed at a downstream
portion of the air passage C1, that is, on the air outlet side of
the air passage C1, and it heats the air to be discharged from the
air outlet 12. Furthermore, a power source 4 for supplying power to
the fan 2 and the heater 3 is disposed inside the air passage
C1.
[0029] The housing 1 has a cooling passage C2 branched from the air
passage C1 between the fan 2 and the heater 3. As shown in FIGS. 2A
and 2B, the cooling passage C2 comprises a half-cylindrical mist
cover 13 and a flat plate 14 for separating the cooling passage C2
from the air passage C1, and one end of the cooling passage C2 is
communicated with the air passage C1 through a branch hole 16 (see,
FIG. 1), and the other end of it is communicated with the outside
through a mist outlet 15 formed at an end of the mist cover 13. By
this constitution, part of the air aspirated by the fan 2 enters
the cooling passage C2 from the branch hole 16, and it flows out
from the mist outlet 15.
[0030] As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the flat plate 14 is equipped
with an electrostatic atomizing device 5 for discharging atomized
water to the outside from the mist outlet 15. The electrostatic
atomizing device 5 has a discharging electrode 50 made of
non-porous material and having a high thermal conductivity, an
opposed electrode 52 disposed opposite a tip 500 of the discharging
electrode 50, a cooling part 53 which cools the discharging
electrode 50 to generate moisture from ambient air near the
discharging electrode, a radiator fin 54 (a radiator) for
dissipating heat which was absorbed when the cooling part 53 cooled
the discharging electrode 50, and a high voltage applying part 55
which applies a high voltage between the discharging electrode 50
and the opposed electrode 52 to atomize water generated near the
discharging electrode.
[0031] The discharging electrode 50 is disposed in the cooling
passage C2. The discharging electrode 50 is formed into a L-shaped
configuration which was formed by bending a cylinder about 90
degrees so that an axial direction of an lower end 501 of the
discharging electrode 50 is approximately perpendicular to a
blowing direction of the air passage C1 and an axial direction of
the tip 500 of the discharging electrode 50 is approximately
parallel to the blowing direction of the air passage C1. The tip
500 of the discharging electrode 50 is a sharp conical
configuration. The opposed electrode 52 is a ring-like shape, and
is accurately positioned on the flat plate 14 so that it will face
the tip 500 of the discharging electrode 50, and is fixed
thereto.
[0032] The cooling part 53 comprises a Peltier unit having a
cooling face 530 and a radiation face 531, and is secured in a hole
140 formed in the flat plate 14 in a condition where the cooling
face 530 faces the cooling passage C2. The lower end 501 of the
discharging electrode 50 is closely connected to the cooling face
530, and an upper surface of the radiator fin 54 is closely
connected to the radiation face 531. When the Peltier unit is
energized by a power supply (not shown), heat moves from the
cooling face 530 to the radiation face 531, and the discharging
electrode 50 connected to the cooling face 530 is cooled. And then,
when a temperature of the ambient air around the discharging
electrode 50 drops below a dew point, water vapor in the air
condenses, and water is generated on the surface of the discharging
electrode 50.
[0033] The heat that was absorbed when the cooling part 53 cooled
the discharging electrode 50 is dissipated from the radiator fin
54. The radiator fin 54 is disposed in the air passage C1 and is
located downstream from the branch hole 16 between the fan 2 and
the heater 3.
[0034] The high voltage applying part 55 is for applying a
predetermined high voltage between the discharging electrode 50 and
the opposed electrode 52. When it gives a negative voltage to the
discharging electrode 50, a high voltage electric field is
generated between the tip 500 of the discharging electrode 50 and
an inner edge of the opposed electrode 52. Then, the water held by
the tip of the discharging electrode 50 bursts to the air with
negative electric charge, and it repeats Rayleigh fission while it
drifts in the high voltage electric field, and eventually, large
amount of nanometer-size ion mist (hereinafter, called nano-ion
mist) is generated.
[0035] In the hair drier of this embodiment constituted as above,
when a switch (not shown) is turned on, the fan 2 begins to rotate
and aspirates exterior air from the air inlet 11. The aspirated air
flows through the air passage C1, and is heated by the heater 3,
and is discharged from the air outlet 12 to the outside as hot air.
Some air aspirated into the air passage C1 is branched to the
cooling passage C2 at the branch hole 16, and it flows through the
cooling passage C2, and it flows out from the mist outlet 15 to the
outside. The cooling part 53 (the Peltier unit) is energized by a
power supply (not shown), and it begins to cool the discharging
electrode 50. When temperature of the ambient air around the
discharging electrode 50 drops below a dew point, dew condensation
water is generated on the surface of the discharging electrode 50.
The high voltage applying part 55 applies a predetermined high
voltage between the discharging electrode 50 and the opposed
electrode 52, whereby the dew condensation water at the tip of the
discharging electrode 50 repeats Rayleigh fission, and eventually,
large amount of nano-ion mist is generated. The generated nano-ion
mist is discharged from the mist outlet 15 to the outside with the
air flowing through the cooling passage C2, and is sprayed on
user's hair, together with the hot air discharged from the air
outlet 12.
[0036] As mentioned above, in the hair drier of this embodiment,
because the cooling part 53 generates moisture from ambient air
near the discharging electrode by cooling the discharging electrode
50, it is possible to discharge nano-ion mist without replenishment
of water. And, because the nano-ion mist generated by the
electrostatic atomizing device 5 is about 3 to 100 nm in diameter,
the nano-mist ion does not easily evaporate even if it is
discharged with hot air, and it is not easily influenced by ambient
electrostatic charge and wind, and a discharging direction of it is
stable. Furthermore, because such mist is large in volume, the mist
can retain such sufficient quantity of water as to increase fiber
bonding inside hair. Furthermore, because the mist is a weak acid
(about ph 4-6), it can neutralize alkaline hair damaged by hair
dyeing and perm and can bring the hair to a weak acid (about ph
5.5) which is a condition of healthy hair. Therefore, in the hair
drier of this embodiment, the nano-ion mist does not evaporate
easily and can reach user's hair surely even when it was discharged
with hot air, and it can produce various effects that the nano-ion
mist has, for example, an effect of moisturizing hair, an effect of
bringing hair close to a weak acid which is a condition of healthy
hair and preventing evaporation of moisture inside the hair by
tightening cuticle and increasing continuousness of moisturizing
effect, an effect of preventing an escape of nutrients such as a
protein and amino acid, an effect of correcting cuticle and
increasing gloss of hair, and an effect of increasing intensity of
hair by raising the fiber bonding inside the hair and giving
tightness and stiffness to the hair. Still Furthermore, because the
hair drier does not need a tank for storing water and a member for
transporting water from the tank to the discharging electrode, it
is possible to downsize the hair drier. As mentioned above, because
the hair drier of this embodiment does not require replenishment of
water and can be downsized, it is possible to dramatically increase
a commercial value of the hair drier.
[0037] Furthermore, in the electrostatic atomizing device 5 of this
embodiment, because water is directly generated on the discharging
electrode 50, a time period from a beginning of the cooling of the
cooling part 53 to a generation of the nanometer-size ion is short.
Therefore, the electrostatic atomizing device 5 of this embodiment
can be applied to a product which is used only for a short time,
such as a hair drier, without problems. Furthermore, because water
that is generated by condensation does not include an impurity,
there is no fear that CaCO.sub.3, MgO, and so on are deposited.
[0038] In this embodiment, because the cooling passage C2 is
branched upstream from the radiator fin 54 between the fan 2 and
the heater 3, the air heated by the heater 3 and the radiator fin
54 does not enter the cooling passage C2, whereby the cooling part
53 can cool the discharging electrode 50 disposed in the cooling
passage C2 quickly and can generate dew condensation water.
[0039] In order to generate dew condensation water continuously, it
is necessary to moderately change the air around the discharging
electrode 50. That is, a situation where a large amount of air is
blown to the discharging electrode 50, or a situation where the air
around the discharging electrode 50 is not changed is not good for
generating dew condensation water. So, in this embodiment, by
disposing the discharging electrode 50 in the cooling passage C2
and forcedly sending some external air which includes water vapor
and was taken in by the fan 2 to the cooling passage C2 through the
branch hole 16, it becomes possible to change the air around the
discharging electrode 50 moderately while preventing the
discharging electrode from being blown by a large amount of air,
and therefore it becomes possible to generate dew condensation
water continuously. The position of the branch hole 16 and a
configuration of the cooling passage and so on may be modified in
order to adjust the amount of air to be sent to the cooling
passage.
[0040] Also, in order to generate dew condensation water
efficiently, it is necessary for the radiator fin 54 to radiate
heat efficiently. In this embodiment, because the radiator fin 54
is disposed in the air passage C1 between the fin 54 and the heater
3, large amount of air that has not been heated by the heater is
blown to the radiator by the fan 2, and therefore the radiator fin
54 can dissipate heat efficiently. In addition, the radiator fin 54
of this embodiment has a function of rectifying air flowing through
the air passage C1 and making stable air flow which heads toward
one direction. That is, the radiator fin 54 is formed so that a
cross section of the radiator fin which faces a pathway of the air
flowing through the air passage C1 has a uniform shape along the
pathway of the air. By this, even when the radiator fin 54 is
disposed in the air passage C1, the flow of the air to be
discharged from the air outlet 12 is not disturbed, and the air of
a stable flow is discharged from the air outlet 12.
[0041] In this embodiment, the mist outlet 15 is formed so that a
discharging direction of the nano-ion mist to be discharged from
the mist outlet 15 becomes parallel to a discharging direction of
the air to be discharged from the air outlet 12. In other words,
the mist outlet 15 is formed so that the blowing direction toward
the opposed electrode 52 from the discharging electrode 50 in the
cooling passage C2 becomes parallel to the blowing direction in the
air passage C1. By this constitution, the nano-ion mist discharged
from the mist outlet can be carried by the air discharged from the
air outlet 12, and it can arrive at user's hair quickly.
[0042] For reference, if the cooling of the discharging electrode
by the cooling part 53 is too strong, the water vapor in the air
may freeze on the discharging electrode 50. In such a case, the
energization of the Peltier unit may be weaken or stopped
temporarily to raise the temperature of the discharging electrode
50. Or, in order to heat the discharging electrode 50 and melt the
frozen water, the heat absorption side of the Peltier unit may be
interchanged with the heat radiation side thereof by reversing the
polarity of the energization.
[0043] The shape of the discharging electrode 50 is not limited to
the shape shown above, and it may have a configuration shown in
FIGS. 5A to 5D, for example. The discharging electrode 50 shown in
FIG. 5A is formed by cutting both ends of a cylindrical metal bar,
which was made of non-porous material and has a high thermal
conductivity, obliquely with respect to an axial direction and
parallel to each other. One cut surface is fixed on the cooling
face 530 of the Peltier unit by means of soldering and so on, and
the other cut surface is disposed so that a sharp part will face
the opposed electrode 52. In this case, the manufacturing process
may be simplified, and the costs can be reduced.
[0044] The discharging electrode 50 shown in FIG. 5B is formed from
an elongated metal plate which has a high thermal conductivity and
is made of non-porous material. One end of the metal plate is
sharpened, and the metal plate is formed into a crank shape by
bending two points of the metal plate 90 degrees each, and a flat
face on the other end side is fixed on the cooling face 530 of the
Peltier unit by means of soldering and so on so that the one end
will face the opposed electrode 52. In this case, the discharging
electrode 50 can be stably fixed on the cooling face 530.
[0045] The discharging electrode 50 shown in FIG. 5C is formed into
a crank shape by processing an axial half part of a cylindrical
metal bar which was made of non-porous material and has a high
thermal conductivity into a flat plate by press working and bending
two points thereof 90 degrees. A flat part thereof is fixed on the
cooling face 530 of the Peltier unit by means of soldering and so
on so that cylindrical one end will face the opposed electrode 52.
In this case, too, the discharging electrode 50 can be stably fixed
on the cooling face 530. For reference, although the tip of the
discharging electrode shown in FIG. 5C is not sharpened, it can
generate the electrostatic atomizing phenomenon from the edge of
the front face.
[0046] The discharging electrode 50 shown in FIG. 5D is a
discharging electrode in which an outer surface of the cylindrical
part of the discharging electrode shown in FIG. 5C is covered by
porous metal 56. The porous metal 56 constitutes a water-retaining
part for temporally storing a surplus of water generated in the
discharging electrode 50. In this case, even if condensation does
not occur temporally, it is possible to generate nano-ion mist
continuously by using the water of the water-retaining part.
Second Embodiment
[0047] FIGS. 6, 7A, and 7B show a hair drier with an electrostatic
atomizing device in accordance with a second embodiment of the
present invention. The basic composition of this embodiment is
identical to the first embodiment, so similar parts to the first
embodiment are identified by the same reference character and no
duplicate explanation is made here.
[0048] The housing 1 of this embodiment has a heat radiation
passage C3 which is branched from the air passage C1 between the
fan 2 and the heater 3, in addition to the cooling passage C2. The
cooling passage C2 and the heat radiation passage C3 are covered by
the half-cylindrical mist cover 13, and they are separated from
each other by the flat plate 14 in the mist cover 13, and an upper
portion of the flat plate 14 defines the cooling passage C2 and an
lower portion of the flat plate defines the heat radiation passage
C3. One end of the cooling passage C2 is communicated with the air
passage C1 through the branch hole 16, and the other end of it is
communicated with the outside through a mist outlet 15. One end of
the heat radiation passage C3 is communicated with the air passage
C1 through the branch hole 16, and the other end of it is
communicated with the outside through a radiation hole 18 formed at
an end of the mist cover 13. The electrostatic atomizing device 5
is provided on the flat plate 14, as is the case with the first
embodiment, and the discharging electrode 50 is disposed in the
cooling passage C2 and the radiator fin 54 is disposed in the heat
radiation passage C3.
[0049] In the hair drier of this embodiment constituted as above,
when a switch (not shown) is turned on, the fan 2 begins to rotate
and aspirates exterior air from the air inlet 11. The aspirated air
flows through the air passage C1, and is heated by the heater 3,
and is discharged from the air outlet 12 to the outside as hot air.
Some air aspirated into the air passage C1 is branched to the
cooling passage C2 at the branch hole 16, and is discharged from
the mist outlet 15 to the outside together with the nano-ion mist
generated by the electrostatic atomizing device 5. And, some air
aspirated into the air passage C1 enters the heat radiation passage
C3 from the branch hole 16, and it cools the radiator fin 54, and
is discharged to the outside from the radiation hole 18.
[0050] Because the cooling passage C2 and the heat radiation
passage C3 each are branched from the air passage C1 between the
fan 2 and the heater 3, the air heated by the heater 3 does not
enter the cooling passage C2 and the heat radiation passage C3.
Therefore, it is possible to cool the discharging electrode 50
quickly and to dissipate heat efficiently by the radiation fin 54.
As a result, it is possible to generate large amount of nano-ion
mist efficiently.
[0051] Although, in the first and second embodiments, a hair drier
is shown as one example of the heating blower, the present
invention can be applied to not only a hair drier but also other
heating blower such as a fan heater.
[0052] As mentioned above, as many apparently widely different
embodiments of this invention may be made without departing from
the spirit and scope thereof, it is to be understood that the
invention is not limited to the specific embodiments thereof except
as defined in the appended claims.
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